Nicole Diar was born on July 21, 1975, in Ohio, U.S. When she was just 4 years old, she suffered a severe accident. Her nightgown caught fire, leading to terrible burns. Over the years, she endured a total of 61 surgeries to help her recover. To support her after the accident, Nicole received $3,000 every month from a lawsuit against the pajama company responsible for her burns.

Growing up, Nicole faced many challenges due to her injuries. The burns left scars both physically and emotionally. She had to deal with the pain and the long recovery process. Nicole eventually became a mother to a son named Jacob. Before becoming a parent, she had various life experiences. As a young adult, Nicole was known to have parties and social gatherings. She would often leave Jacob alone at home with babysitters while she went out to bars.

On August 27, 2003, Nicole Diar's home in Lorain, Ohio, caught fire. At the time, her 4-year-old son, Jacob, was inside the house. Diar was able to escape the flames, but Jacob could not. When neighbors and emergency responders arrived, they found Diar outside screaming for help. She claimed she had tried to save Jacob from his upstairs bedroom but could not due to the smoke.

Investigators later discovered Jacob's burned remains in the house. An autopsy was conducted, but it could not determine the exact cause of death because Jacob's body was too badly burned. However, the lack of soot and smoke in his lungs suggested that he may have died before the fire started. This raised questions about Diar's account of the events.

Diar was charged with aggravated murder, aggravated arson, and other offenses. During the trial, prosecutors argued that she had suffocated Jacob before setting the house on fire. In October 2005, a jury found her guilty and recommended the death penalty. Diar was sentenced to death by Judge Kosma Glavas.

In 2008, the Ohio Supreme Court reviewed the case and overturned the death sentence. The court found that the jury had not been informed that a single juror could have prevented her from receiving the death penalty. As a result, Diar negotiated a plea deal with prosecutors to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, avoiding future legal battles. She is currently incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio.